Vinnies is preparing for a bumper season as it makes gifting more affordable for Illawarra families. Photo: Region.
Op shops are preparing for a surge this season as people make room for new gifts, but with the stores also providing a place for some to purchase preloved or donated items for presents ahead of Christmas, starting your summer clean-out early could make a big difference for local families.
A sudden lack of space after an influx of toys and Christmas gifts starts to take up extra room in the house often sparks the urge for a much-needed summer clean-out, with the season one of the busiest times of the year for Illawarra op shops receiving donations.
But by moving the practice just a few weeks earlier, those quality items that are just gathering dust could find a new home and help make a family’s season a little more festive and affordable.
“There is most definitely a growing trend of gifting with a social and environmental conscience by buying secondhand,” Salvos Stores Illawarra and South Coast area manager Dale Cheetham said.
“It is beautiful to see this become normalised and Salvos Stores are here to promote this.”
“I understand people are busy and things don’t always work out the way you want them to but if a good quality toy hits your local Vinnies, it can either go out to someone at a very affordable price to snap up and become a stocking filler, or it might end up in a package for a family that gets a Christmas hamper,” Vinnies Illawarra retail area manager Sarah Harris said.
Higher demand and lower volunteer numbers add an extra challenge over the holiday period, which makes it even more vital for donors to allow ample time and follow the correct processes if they want to see their items in store.
“If you’re choosing to drop off in a blue bin that you might see in a church carpark for example, those are often picked up by volunteer van drivers and brought down to a central sorting facility,” Sarah said.
“It could be anywhere between a week and a month before those items find their way onto a shop floor, because they will often end up in a storage box and waiting for a store to order them.
“If you donate directly into your local Vinnies store however and you’ve got great items, savvy volunteers will cherry pick those and check for quality, price them and put them on the shop floor sometimes within the hour.”
That item could be a great preloved toy, homewares or clothing item, or even something new.
“Maybe if there was an office party and a bit of a Kris Kringle and you get something and it doesn’t really suit you, straight to Vinnies which is great for us, because it’s probably going to sell that day or week,” Sarah said.
“We’ve noticed an increase of new-with-tags clothing coming through and I think that’s got a lot to do with people shopping online and not getting a chance to try things on.”
But it’s important that the community doesn’t treat the service as a dumping ground, only drop off items to stores during operating hours and phone ahead if they are unsure whether a store is accepting donations or if they have questions about a specific item.
“It’s highly recommended that donors call the receiving store team first to confirm that the goods are able to be received, and also to become familiar with our acceptable/unacceptable donations guide,” Dale said.
“Generally speaking, we would like donors to think of their local store as their recycling partner in the community, and if a particular donation wouldn’t be suitable to give to a friend – then please consider whether it is suitable to donate.”
“If they’ve got household waste or items that are dirty or damaged or dangerous that are unsuitable for sale, I always encourage them to make use of their free council pick-up or to use their own red and yellow bins,” Sarah said.
“Because that really can cause a huge backlog for us and obviously it comes as an expense for us to get rid of that waste.”
And while dropping off items at these shops, you could even get the chance to snap up a bargain yourself.
“We don’t only have secondhand things; we’ve got new items, we’ve got recycled range, we’ve got gift cards as well,” Sarah said.
To find out more about specific donation requirements, contact your local store directly.
